The present invention generally relates to apparatus and methods for recouping scrap material, and particularly to apparatus and methods for recouping scrap material remaining after the desired shaped and sized pieces are cut from a continuous dough sheet for the preparation of a snack product by conventional deep fat frying.
One type of snack product which has gained wide market acceptance is the "puffed" snack product. In certain methods of preparation, a cooked farinaceous dough is formed into a single continuous dough sheet. This dough sheet is then run through a piece forming apparatus or rotary cutter which includes an opposed pair of rollers at least one of which has depressions which stamp out the desired shape and size pieces from the dough sheet. After formation of the dough pieces, the pieces are dried under controlled conditions from a moisture content of about 18% down to a moisture content of between 10% and 15% to form a half product or pellet. The moisture content of the half product is sufficiently low to exhibit extended shelf stability. The snack product is prepared from the half product by conventional deep fat frying. The frying of the half product generates steam volumes inside of the half product to puff the half product resulting in a light, puffed snack product having surface corrugations.
The sale of snack food products is a highly competitive business. The novelty of snack food products decline rapidly, as new and different types of snack foods are introduced to maintain or increase market share. Puffed snack products can be varied in various ways such as by changing the shapes, sizes, and surface corrugations of the pieces or by changing the composition of the dough from which the half products are prepared. Another variation is to have the puffed snack product of a hollow structure, with the hollow configuration resulting from the fabrication of the half products from a two-layer laminated dough sheet. One method of forming a laminated dough sheet is to fold a single continuous dough sheet into a two-plied dough sheet as set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,092,757 and 5,217,739.
As set forth previously, the frying of the half product generates steam volumes inside of the half product to puff the half product. If the half product is not completely whole in shape, the resulting puffed snack product will not have consistent size and shape. This is especially important for the two-ply half product where the steam generated inside of the half product results in a unique, slightly pillowed, crisp, puffed snack product, with half products which are not formed properly such as not being completely whole in shape not producing product having this appearance which are preferred by the consumer. To insure that all pieces are completely formed and possess the desired texture and appearance, the width of the cutting pattern on the rotary cutter was designed to be narrower than the width of the two-ply folded sheet; in other words, the two-ply sheet overlaps the cutting pattern. However, this solution, while insuring that all pellets are of desired texture and shape, results in another difficult problem: the formation of excess scrap material. Unlike cookie, cracker, or even tortilla chip processes, where the scrap material is easily refed directly into the sheeter, scrap material in the production of half products can not be refed directly into the sheeter when forming puffed snack product of the present invention for a variety of reasons.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel apparatus and methods for recouping scrap material remaining after the stamping of the desired shaped and sized pieces from a continuous dough sheet.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such novel apparatus and methods which are efficient and commercially feasible.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel apparatus and methods where the scrap material is cut into shapes which can be separated from the desired shaped pieces by using conventional particle separators. It is an aim of the present invention to cut the scrap material into pieces of a smaller shape than the desired shaped pieces.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel apparatus and methods where the first pieces have tessellated shapes which can be cut in a tight, juxtapositional pattern with no scrap material between the first pieces. It is further an aim of the present invention to provide such novel apparatus and methods where the first pieces have nontesselated shapes, with the scrap material between the first pieces being stamped by pockets formed in the lands stamping the first pieces.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide such novel apparatus and methods where the scrap material is dried in the drying oven with the desired shaped pieces prior to separation. It is further an aim of the present invention to grind the dried, scrap material for refeeding into the dry ingredient mix and thereby substantially reducing ingredient costs.